Here’s Why your Live Event Failed — 2018 Update

If you’re reading this you’re likely already using live video. You know the power of the engagement it creates, and are looking for answers on how to scale your broadcast.

You’ve seen some success, you have viewers on the hook, and you’re looking to build a better funnel so you can monetize your live events, promote your brand, and get your message out to potential customers. What you’re looking to put in place is your distribution strategy. How will viewers find your content? In what way will they engage? How do I capture info so I can turn my unknown audience into known prospects?

Depending on your Online Video Provider (OVP), their advice is to make sure you promote your event. But what are the best ways to do this? This is live content. Timing is everything, so being prepared is vital. You should be using social media, email, paid media, and any other means to let people know about your event.

1. Use Social Media

The first thing to know is who are you targeting and what social platform that they are spending their time on. If you’re going after a millennial audience for your live broadcast, it’s probably not worth your time to only distribute to Facebook or Twitter. Try Snapchat. Or if you’re going after crafters, promoting your event on Snapchat is less effective than using a forum like Pinterest. Whichever social platform, make sure that you have a strong call to action to tune in live.

Pro Tip: Know what platform your intended audience is on and spend 80% of your time there. That way, you can get to know them and don’t waste too much time, energy, or money on the wrong platforms.

2. Use Your Email List

Email is still one of the strongest forms of communication — especially when you’re trying to reach professionals. Driving pre-registration for your event is a key factor in how well your event will do. You will most likely only see about 30% of those sign-ups actually show up for your event). Getting someone to commit their time upfront is golden and should be one part of your overall distribution strategy.

Pro Tip: Start building your email list early. It’s slow to grow, but it’s something you can reuse over and over again. Remember to segment to make your list relevant to each event.

3. Use Paid Media

Paid media is a powerful tool in scaling your live event, it’s how you’re going to expose net new audiences to your event. Understanding when to trigger this strategy is key. You have to have a clear picture of who your target audience is, what gets them to engage with your content, and how they interact with your live events. Along with paid media, it’s important to pick a partner that can deliver when you’re live. Make sure they have retargeting capabilities and can segment your audiences so you can continue to have light touch points that are personalized.

Pro Tip: Create ad sequences that are engaging and personalized to each user.

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